A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF PATRIOTISM IN AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE SPEECHES

Abstract

This paper conducts a pragmatic analysis of patriotic language in American Independence Day speeches to explore how presidents strategically construct and reinforce patriotic sentiment through linguistic strategies. While these speeches have been extensively studied from historical perspectives, research on their pragmatic dimensions remains limited. The study investigates how patriotism is expressed through pragmatic features, contributing to constructing national identity and reflecting specific historical contexts. The research adopts a qualitative methodology to analyse four extracts from presidential Independence Day speeches delivered by Donald Trump (2019) and Barack Obama (2016) using Searle's (1969) Speech Act Theory and Grice's (1975) Conversational Implicature as analytical frameworks. Findings reveal that presidents employ sophisticated layering of speech acts and strategic manipulation of conversational maxims to evoke patriotic sentiment. Each president adapts these pragmatic strategies to address the unique challenges of their era while maintaining connections to enduring American values, balancing the celebration of national achievements with acknowledgment of ongoing challenges, and constructing a vision of inclusive patriotism.